"Completely malicious approach" - Fenerbahce hit back at Galatasaray with statement after their racism claim about Jose Mourinho

Fenerbahçe have issued a statement dismissing Galatasaray's accusation that Jose Mourinho made racist remarks after the Intercontinental Derby on February 24. The Süper Lig match ended in a goalless draw at RAMS Park.

Jose Mourinho has been critical of the referring in Turkiye following his appointment as Fenerbahçe head coach in June last year. In the post-match press conference, the Portuguese heaped praise on Slovene referee Slavko Vinčić, who officiated the derby. He said (via ESPN):

"The performance of the referee was a top performance. Anyone, not just from this country but also abroad, watched a big football match. I think the man responsible for that was the referee."

"I went to the referee's dressing room after the game. Of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee. And I told him [the referee], thank you [for coming] here. I turn myself to the fourth official and I told [him] this match, if you are the referee ... would be a disaster. When I say him, I say the general tendency," added Mourinho.

When asked about an incident in the game involving Fenerbahçe defender Yusuf Akcicek, Jose Mourinho claimed that a Turkish referee would have dealt differently with the situation. He said:

"Again, I have to thank the referee because with a Turkish referee after the big dive and the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on top of the kids. A Turkish referee would have [given Akcicek] a yellow card after one minute, and after five minutes I would have to change him."

Following Mourinho's comments, Galatasaray issued a statement mentioning that they plan on criminal proceedings due to the racist statements by the coach. They added that they would submit official complaints against him to UEFA and FIFA. The statement also claimed that the former Chelsea manager has persistently made derogatory remarks about the Turks.

Now, Fenerbahçe has hit back at Galatasaray with a statement claiming that Jose Mourinho's words were taken completely out of context and intentionally distorted. The statement read:

"As any rational person can see and understand, these statements used by José Mourinho during the match to describe the overreaction of the opposing team's technical committee to the referee's decisions cannot be associated with racism in any way."

"Trying to portray this statement as a racist statement is a completely malicious approach. We inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this incompetent slander, which is thrown in order to take the rivalry off the field, change and manipulate the agenda."

Back in November 2024, Jose Mourinho received a one-game ban and a penalty after making critical remarks about Turkish soccer and claiming that the officials are biased against his team.

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Rangers' boss on facing Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahçe in UEFA Europa League Round of 16

Rangers head coach Philippe Clement shared his thoughts on his squad being drawn against Fenerbahçe in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League. The first leg is slated for March 13, at Ibrox Stadium.

While speaking to the press following the Europa League Round of 16 draw, Clement praised his upcoming opponents and said (via BBC Sport):

"It's an exciting two games everybody's looking forward to. A team with a lot of experience, a lot of quality, a manager with a lot of experience. I know a lot of players also from the past. It's a real good team. A stadium with a lot of passionate fans, like we have."

Philippe Clement also spoke about Jose Mourinho's achievements in the past and added:

"I think you guys will like that or love that. He's going to give you a lot of material. The respect is there. It's about winning at the end and he did that at several places with several teams and winning the biggest trophies that you can win in the world. It's normal to respect a lot someone who did that."

Rangers and Fenerbahçe have been pitted against each other only twice in the past. The Scottish side bagged a win while the other match ended in a draw.